This is No Fairy Tale
by Leopardsplash
Summary: Remnant has always faced the threats of Grimm, crime, and war. But something different is coming, something worse. One team trains at Beacon to prove that they belong on the field, fighting as true Huntresses. The path of a Huntsman isn't easy though, and some of the team members may find themselves challenged when their pasts catch up with them. A past lifestyle can be tempting.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my RWBY story! This will follow team CNFR (pronounced conifer) through their time training to be Huntresses and their adventures outside of school. The first four chapters will be "trailer" chapters, featuring a single member for each chapter. I'm not going to focus too much on the team meeting each other or being introduced because the original show clearly spends enough time on it, and to be honest, it can be boring; that being said, each character will have backstories, and you will most likely see them in their early stages of team development. This story will mainly feature OCs, with a couple canon characters, though they will mainly be teachers. Older teams, such as team CFVY, will have a better chance of appearing, but RWBY, JNPR, etc. won't be mentioned a lot as team CNFR consists of older members.**

 **Please review, follow, and favorite if you like the story. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't be rude.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBW or any of its characters. This story is purely for entertainment.**

 **XXX**

" **C"**

The half-shattered moon shone dimly in the night sky above her as she stood looking out from the cliff. Far below were the main docks of the city. Mistral had a few significant ports, but this one was often the most busy. Tonight, however, the docks were all but silent. So far, no movement caught her eye, no ripples disturbed the water. It would have been a perfectly peaceful night if the young woman didn't know better.  
She'd already been waiting close to an hour. She crossed her arms, ignoring the frigid winds that created goosebumps along her skin. Her blue jacket and duster kept out most of the cold, but Mistral winds could get very chilly. It was a wonder she knew what the sun was.

A tiny dark shape moved out of the shadows and onto the dock, catching the young woman's eye. It stopped abruptly for a second, and then it was suddenly joined by about five other dark shapes. Her fingers curled around the metal hoops hanging on her belt. She took a breath, pulled her hood over her head, then ran forward and jumped off the cliff, disappearing below.  
Six men wandered along the docks, each armed with guns in hand and knives at their belts. One of them lead the others, a slightly younger man, probably in his twenties, holding a large gun against his shoulder as he turned to the five other men behind him.  
"Alright, the crates are here. Call the guys and tell them to bring the truck around," the man said, "Then load the weapons so we can get out of here." The men nodded, mumbling under their breaths about the cold, and started unloading the crates. The young leader watched them, brushing aside a strand of copper hair with one hand while swinging the gun around on his fingers with another, as if it weighed less than a twig.

The young woman wove in and out of the alleyways created by the large shipping crates and warehouses along the pier. She ducked around a corner, peering out at the figures shuffling through the opened crates. Slowly and silently, Cerulean unfastened one of the metallic circles from her belt, feeling the razor-edged blades snap out. She spun the chakram around her finger, its speed increasing, and then snapped her wrist, the circular weapon flying toward the men on the docks. It whistled through the air and sliced one of the figure's chest just as he turned at the noise. He let out a brief cry of pain before falling to his knees. Cerulean leapt upwards, grabbing the chakram in midair as it flew back, and snapped another chakram out, facing the men that looked at her then, each with an enraged expression and an aimed gun. Except for one.

The decently dressed, presumably leader took a few steps forward, eyeing the girl. She gripped her weapons tighter, expecting him to say something. But he just gave a nod, and the five other men around him rushed forward and fired their guns. Cerulean ran, dodging out of the way of the bullets, sliding off the crates, and landing in front of the armed men. Giving a tiny smirk, she lunged forward, her chakrams colliding with the gun of one of the men. Grunting, the man tried shoving her away. Cerulean fell backwards, rolling on the hard ground before springing up, and slashing furiously with her chakrams. The man with the gun dropped like a rock, knocking the man behind him off his feet.

"Hey!" Cerulean turned at the voice, only to have her head snapped back from a blunt object smashing into her face. She groaned, pressing her back to one of the crates and glaring at her attacker. The man grinned, aiming at her heart, and pulled the trigger on his gun. Cerulean pushed off just as the bullet ricocheted off the crate into the opposite direction and connected her two chakrams, watching as they unfolded into their new form. Raising the crossbow at her assailant, she fired two explosive rounds in his direction. The man moved to the side, completely avoiding the first round, but seemed to have forgotten the second as it struck him, sending him flying back.  
 _Who's next?_ Cerulean thought as she briskly straightened herself into a defensive pose. A large shape lurched forward, and the girl took a step back, sizing up her new foe. He was much larger than the previous men, with a muscular build and a sword at his side. If she kept him at a fair distance, or even better, knocked him off his feet, she could hopefully fire enough rounds to finish him off. She aimed at his head, the man grinning the entire time, then, just before she pulled the trigger, she changed her aim, her weapon now pointing at where the man's feet were, before firing. Chunks of asphalt flew everywhere, and judging by the man's surprised yell, some had hit him. Cerulean lifted a hand to cover her face from the dust spewing from the impact.

The dust began to clear just seconds later, and Cerulean lowered her hand, narrowing her eyes in the darkness. She gripped the handle of her crossbow, kicking some pebbles away as she looked around. The wind was roaring, blowing strands of brown hair into her eyes. She took a cautious step forward, raising her crossbow, just as a dark form rushed toward her and slammed a fist into her side. She flew to the side, losing her grip on her weapon and rolling to a painful stop. The hulking man from before approached her, and Cerulean's hand darted to her side only to realize that her crossbow lay nearly ten feet away. A flash of silver caught her eye, and something metal prodded her neck.

"Nice try, Miss Tricky," the man sneered, his sword tickling her neck. She grimaced, trying not to show her anger and frustration. Her hand skimmed the ground beside her, trying to find something to throw or hit the guy with to distract him. The man didn't seem to notice, or care, and he grinned evilly, the sword staying perfectly pointed at the center of Cerulean's throat. "Hey boss! What do we do about this?" Footsteps echoed throughout the dockyard, and Cerulean could make out the faint shape of a leaner, more finely dressed man. He appeared younger than most of the men she had fought, but he carried himself with authority. He peered at Cerulean, standing just a few feet behind the hulking monster of a man, fixing a black glove with a half-amused, half-curious expression.

"I assume some rag-tag, Huntress-wannabe, vigilante?" he drawled, twirling a large ring around his finger. Cerulean kept her mouth shut, one hand closing around a stray chunk of asphalt, and shifted her weight, trying to create even the tiniest bit of distance between the sword and her neck. The leader's eyes darted over to her weapon, lying pitifully on the ground. He frowned. "What's that supposed to be exactly?" The other man shifted his gaze, looking to where her crossbow lay, giving Cerulean the second she needed to act. She hurled the chunk of rock in her hand, not even waiting to see if it had hit, before sprinting to her weapon. Her hand flung out, ready to grab it, when she heard a click behind her. She dropped to the ground just as a round exploded above her. Her hand closed around the crossbow handle and she turned, firing three rounds in succession. The muscular man lunged to block her rounds from reaching the other man, using his sword as a shield. Cerulean watched the rounds bounce off in varying directions with distaste. _He must be the boss_ , she thought to herself sourly.

"Well, this has been fun!" the young boss huffed, laughing at the end. Cerulean's grimace deepened, and her finger tightened around the trigger, aiming her weapon again. The man's laugh dropped off into a frown, narrowing his eyes at the girl opposite him, before nodding to his henchman. The man switched his grip on the sword, then ran towards Cerulean. Cerulean backed up, snapping her crossbow back into her chakrams just as the man reached her and slashed his machete forward. Cerulean cried out, springing backwards as the silver blade cut through the air. The man didn't stop, lurching forward with each swipe of his blade. Cerulean ducked and dodged, trying to escape the swarm of sharpened metal. Growling, the man moved again, aiming high above her head, ready to stab downwards. Taking the opportunity, Cerulean slide beneath the sword and ran her own blades from the man's torso to his back. He fell to his knees, howling in pain, and turned, making one last attempt to strike her. Cerulean slammed one of her chakrams forward, a sharp _clang_ ringing out as it clashed with the sword and stopped it in mid-descent. The man turned his head, glaring at Cerulean, who gave a rare grin in reply, before slashing her last chakram across the man's back and shoving him to the ground. He groaned before he hit the pavement with a _thud._ He didn't get back up, but Cerulean made sure the cuts weren't deep; he'd be fine. The young woman backed up, wiping sweat from her brow and lowering her weapons to her side.

Something whistled behind her, the high pitched sound of metal being drawn, and Cerulean spun around swiftly, holding her chakram in front of her in a defensive position just as a thin sword hit the weapon. Cerulean narrowed her eyes. A mere six feet away stood the young leader, one hand on a gun, the other holding the handle of the rapier connected with her chakram. He grinned at her, a devious, cat-like smile playing on his lips.

"That was entertaining!" he remarked, his eyes glancing at his fallen comrade. Cerulean narrowed her eyes further and she bared her teeth. "No, I'm being quite serious! You're very talented. And resourceful, using your surroundings as distractions and what not. Though, to be fair, you weren't up against the most competent of foes."

"Maybe you should surround yourself with smarter lackeys then," the girl growled. The man smiled, but gazed at her with a thoughtful expression.

"You seem familiar," he mused.

"Do you often meet hooded, mysterious people by the docks?" she mocked. "I doubt we've met." At that his eyes met hers, narrowing in thought.

"Who are you?" he asked, his tone hardening. Cerulean stiffened and lowered her eyes.

"Sorry. That's all the time we have for questions," she said quickly, dropping down low and kicking the man's legs from under him. His eyes widened a fraction before he fell, the gun falling out of his hand. Cerulean grabbed his shoulder and pinned him to the ground with her left hand, her right pushing against the man's sword, still poised defensively. Gritting her teeth, the girl tried moving her chakram around the sword, but even with one hand free, the man was surprisingly adept at maneuvering the weapon, cutting her off each time she moved the slightest inch. A soft glow began emanating from the sword, shining light blue. _He's using Dust,_ Cerulean realized in shock. _The sword must be infused with Dust!_ She grunted, knowing there was no time to run far away enough. Only one idea popped into her head, and though it wasn't a good one, it was all she could do. She pulled both arms back and let her weapons fall to the ground, her hands now free. The man's eyes widened, clearly not having expected a surrender from her, and he began to lower the sword. His knuckles whitened as he poised the rapier, ready to strike her. Breathing softly, Cerulean shifted backwards, as if she were moving away, then shot forward and smashed a fist into the face of her adversary. Eyes rolling back, the man slumped backwards onto the ground, his body limp and his weapons strewn around him. Cerulean hopped onto her feet, quickly moving away from the unconscious body lying before her. She ran a hand through her hair, breathing heavily, staring off into space for a few moments.

10 minutes later, Cerulean was back on the cliff, sitting on a bench as she tried to relax. The police had just arrived, receiving an "anonymous" call saying that a group of men were at the docks and stealing the newly shipped weapons, and that they had attacked someone. The caller had even mentioned that more men may have arrived later on. There was a little bit of a lie contained within the truths, but she had no intention of letting anyone know her part in the event. She grimaced, massaging her sore wrist. _That'll be black and blue by morning._

Her scroll vibrated on her belt, buzzing every few seconds. She slide it out of the pocket and clicked the answer button. "Hello?" she asked.

" _Have you decided yet?"_

Cerulean shook her head, smiling in spite of herself. "I'm not sure."

" _Bull. You've decided. Come on! It'll be fun!"_

"It's not supposed to be fun."

" _...You're going to come."_

"Whatever floats your boat," Cerulean said, trying to keep her tone serious, though she smiled softly.

" _What are you doing now anyways? You sort of sound out of breath."_

Cerulean looked down at the downs, beams of red and blue lights and the screech of sirens cutting through the night. "I'm just relaxing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2 and "trailer" 2. Introducing the next member of team CNFR. Please review, follow, and/or favorite if you like it! Constructive criticism is always welcome, and if you notice something confusing, or a grammatical/spelling error, please mention it in reviews or PM.**

 **I do not own RWBY; this story is for entertainment purposes and because I want to write it :)**

 **XXX**

" **N"**

Alani Nadra hoisted her weapon over her shoulder. The double-bladed battle axe she called Vermilion Slice had a lot of weight to it, and she could swing it with enough ease to deliver a powerful strike to opponents. Before her stood three kids, each around 14 years of age. Hunters and Huntresses in training. As a graduate of Signal Academy, with Atlas connections in her family, Alani had agreed to help train the young Hunters and take them on a practice mission. She had taken them to Forever Fall, knowing there was enough low-level Grimm that would provide enough of a challenge where they hopefully wouldn't get hurt.

"Okay, I hope you three have your weapons ready and your wits sharp," Alani said, a tiny smile on her face. "You three will proceed into the forest, looking for Grimm. I would recommend heading towards the more forested areas. But don't stray farther than the Huit Grove. The Grimm will probably stay far away from our current direction, and closer to the trees, especially the Rapier Wasps; they love the red sap these trees produce." Alani gave each student a look over. "Any questions?"

"You want us to go looking for Grimm?" one of the girls asked in disbelief. She tilted her head to the side, her single, blond ponytail making her head look lopsided. The girl held two sai in a tight grip, but despite her fighter stance, she seemed reluctant to actually fight.

"If you ever want to become a Huntress, you're going to fight Grimm. If you stay on the path I've instructed, you shouldn't run into any high leveled Grimm. Keep your Scrolls handy in case you run into trouble, but trust me, this is good practice. If you choose to attend Beacon, or one of the other upper combat schools, you will learn not only how to fight other Huntsmen, but how to fight Grimm while defending your team and the people of Remnant. No more sitting around and upgrading your weapon or target-practicing." The girl's mouth slid into a frown, clearly not happy with her current situation. The boy and girl to her right shot each other a worried glance, but Alani ignored them. She took her Scroll out with her free hand.

"I'll be tracking your Scrolls," she added as a last minute reminder. "Your practice mission starts now." The three students look surprised, but quickly shook it off and ran into the forest, weapons in hand. Alani watched them disappear into the trees before looking at her Scroll, a map of Forever Fall pulled up. Three dots moved along a dotted line on the map. One dot moved farther ahead than the other, but the three stayed relatively close. Alani leaned up against one of the trees, resting her battle axe next to her.

A scream pierced the air, and despite Alani's calmness, she jumped up, startled. Her hand gripped the handle of her axe. She checked her scroll, confusion washing through her. The three dots representing her students were still on the screen. The dots had stopped moving, and were huddled together. Alone, that wouldn't have worried Alani, but the scream had sent shivers down her spine, and she was sure it had been her students. Deciding that they were in serious trouble, Alani raced into the forest, her weapon in hand. Her spring-attached boots helped her push off the ground in faster strides. She followed the trail, watching as the dot that represented herself neared the three others. She peered through the treeline, her vision filled with shades of red and pink. Finally, after long minutes of running through the forest, a few splotches of color crept into her vision. The kids.  
As she neared the three students, Alani's blood went cold. One of the students, a girl with curly teal hair, lay on the ground, one knee propped up. The two other students were standing in front of the girl in defensive positions, the blond girl with the two sai and the dark haired boy with some form a of gun. Before them were two Ursa Major. Not even hesitating, Alani sprung into the air, slamming her axe into the side of one of the Ursa. It let out a groan before rocking over to the side, dazed. Alani ran back to the students, looking down at the inured girl for a split second.  
"Are you okay? What happened here? And make it quick!" Alani said urgently, keeping her gaze on the Ursa, who were lumbering to their feet.

"We were battling a swarm of Rapier Wasps. We defeated most of them, but then these two Ursa appeared," the boy, Kai if Alani remembered correctly, said hurriedly, "We figured we could take them, but...I don't know, they were too tough, and while Electra and I were fighting one of the Ursa, the second appeared out of nowhere and attacked Jade! Her leg's been hurt, we don't know how bad-" He was cut off by one of the Ursa's roar, and the next second, both were rampaging towards the group. Alani took a step forward in front of the Hunters-in-training.

"Kai, fire your weapon, now!" she barked, turning her axe so one of its barrels faced her, firing off a few rounds into the Ursa. Kai aimed his own gun and fired off his own rounds that exploded on contact with one of the Ursa. The Ursa slowed for a moment, roaring in rage, but the brief attack barely affected them. Alani gritted her teeth, before barking another command to Kai and Electra. "Get Jade out of here and go somewhere safe."

"We can stay and fight!" Electra half-implored, half-snapped. Alani bit her tongue, not even bothering to look the girl's way. A Huntress never lost her focus during battle, and ignored distractions.

"Go now! You've done enough!" she snapped, then raced forward and jumped. She flew through the air, firing at the Ursai as she began to descend. One of the Ursa looked upward, raising its claws as Alani swung her weapon down, meeting the blades with its massive paw. The edge of one of the blades dug into the Ursa, but before Alani clicked the trigger, the Ursa, slammed its paw into the ground, Alani going with it. Her head snapped forward as she hit the ground, dirt and pebbles flying around her. The Ursa lunged forward, paw moving closer to Alani's face. She raised her arm quickly and sliced the paw clean off. The Grimm creature cried out, stumbling backward as it waved its stump, giving Alani the time to jump to her feet and spit out the dirt in her mouth.  
A vision flashed before her eyes, two giant, black claws closing around her head. She leapt backward, landing yards away just as the second Ursa smashed down on the spot she had been previously standing. She sniffed, flicking her wrist; one of the blades flew off, circling the air. The Ursa was dumb enough to stand up, its yellow eyes following the axe's blade, only for the blade to head right towards the creature, slicing its back. Alani bolted forward and dug her weapon into the Ursa's neck. It growled, but Alani stood her ground, staring down the Grimm. She dug her heels into the ground, and pulled the trigger on her weapon, slashing the battleaxe through the Ursa. The body dropped as the head flew off, falling a few feet away. Alani slowly backed away. The Grimm would be gone within minutes. It was part of their very nature; anybody who claimed to have spoils and who hung Goliath heads on their walls were just creative enough to make a fake, stuffed head look real. The Huntress turned, wiping the dirt off her pants and dragging her weapon beside her. She had trained much longer than the three students from Signal, but battling an Ursa was still no easy task. She has assumed that the forest would only have weak Grimm, and that three Huntsmen-in-training would be enough to fight the Grimm. Now she felt guilty that her first chance to train younger Huntsmen had ended with a wounded student. She pulled out her Scroll and searched the map of Forever Fall. It looked like the students had made it back to where the ship had dropped them off.

A shiver ran down her back, and Alani's eyes widened, the image of an Ursa's paw inches from running her through. She flipped backwards into the air just as the second Ursa's claw swiped beneath her. Her feet slammed into the ground, nearly making her lose her balance. She fired Vermilion Slice, watching the Ursa stumble backwards and flail its claws, a stump leg waving in the air. She had forgotten about the second Ursa, had hoped that it fled or had disappeared. She took a step back, ready to sprint forward, when a blur of pink and pale yellow shot past her. The student lighted onto the back of the Ursa and shoved her two sai into its black skin, earning a furious howl from the Grimm. Alani didn't have time to wonder why the girl had come back, or to be angry that the student had disobeyed her orders and run headfirst at the Grimm. She took the distraction as an opportunity. Frowning, she reached into her pocket and dug out Dust fire rounds, replacing the average Dust rounds already in the gun-axe. She positioned her weapon so the barrel on the end faced the Ursa. The girl was rocking back and forth, clinging to her weapons while the Ursa attempted to get her off.

"Get off now!" Alani yelled, and fired. The girl drew her sai out and jumped as the fire Dust exploded upon impact with the Ursa. She screeched as the explosion sent her body forward before Alani jumped up and caught her, skidding back from the impact. The Huntress looked back as she set the girl on the ground. A few trees had blazing limbs, but she figured they would die down. The Ursa was down, and already it had begun to fade into darkness.

"You shot at me!" Alani turned to the blonde girl, who was looking at her indignantly, arms crossed and sai back in a belt at her hip.

"I shot at the Ursa. You got out of the way in time," Alani pointed out. "I told you to go back." The girl grinned at her smugly.

"You needed help."

"Hardly. I would have taken that Ursa whether you were there or not. You made it slightly easier, that's all."

"I was acting like a true Huntress. Wasn't that the point of today? To learn how to fight Grimm?"

"Don't get cocky," Alani warned, "A move like that could get you killed. You have a long way to go." The hum of a Bullhead came from overhead. Alani smiled softly and picked up her weapon. She was going to hit Beacon by storm.


	3. Chapter 3

**After way too long, here is the third member of team CNFR and her trailer story. Again, feel free to offer advice, tips, or point out grammatical/spelling errors. If you'd like to see something happen or appear in this story, or you'd like to see a specific character incorporated, you can PM me or leave a review. Please leave reviews! It motivates me, and lets me know people are reading this fic and want it to continue.**

 **Disclaimer: Again, I do not own RWBY.**

" **F"**

"Place your bets!" A huge ring of people surrounded a clearing, where a single referee stood in the center, while the last two fighters were dragged off. The spectators exchanged Lien, completing bets and making new ones. Among the onlookers, a teenage girl with short, olive green hair and a dark tawny complexion was jamming Lien into her pockets and her backpack, grinning as a number of disgruntled gamblers reluctantly handed over their money.

"Alrighty, that looks about right. Ah, wait - you sir, yes, you, I see you trying to sneak away. Cough it up," Fern said with a wide, cat-like smile. She collected the Lien and eyed the clearing, two new fighters already circling each other. Two muscular people, a man and a women, watched beside Fern. The girl scoffed as one of the fighters threw a punch that was easily deflected by his rival. "Weak and poorly placed," she observed.

"That's one of the best fighters I know," the man beside her said.

"Well, you need to get out more. He relies too heavily on his punches, he looked like he was aiming for the guy's shoulder rather than his head, stomach, or groin, and he-,"

"If you know so much, go fight the guy. Put your money where your mouth is," the woman sneered, her muscles making her figure look fairly intimidating. Fern gestured at her filled pockets, and pulled out some Lien.

"I've already done that," she said cheekily, shoving it back in her pockets. "But I will gladly fight your guy." She shoved through the crowd, the man and woman staring after her with confident, smug grins. "Excuse me!" Every single person surrounding the ring stared at her, and the two fighters turned and gave her confused glances. She smiled and pointed at the fighter on the left. "I'd like to fight him, please." Some of the spectators snickered.

"We ain't done yet," the second fighter said. Fern lifted up some of the Lien she had won.

"I'll pay you to be done, if you really need that," she said in a bored tone. "Now, get off. I'm fighting him, not you." The man looked pretty angry, but stomped over and grabbed the Lien before leaving the ring. Fern grinned at the single fighter left, who was looking pretty wary at this point. He was muscular, wearing only red cargo pants with belts looped on the sides. His head, arms, and back were all tattooed.

"Weapons or no weapons?" he asked. Fern put a finger to her lip, barely stifling a smile.

"Weapons will work," she said sweetly. The man scoffed, then slipped on a pair of gloves. Fern raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, slipping a pair of sports glasses on as she stepped into the ring. She adjusted the shoulder strap of her backpack, making sure it was tight, then faced the man. A woman with spiked orange and purple hair lifted up a megaphone.

"Fighters, ready? Fight begins in 3, 2, 1, Go!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the crowd. The man launched himself at Fern, and Fern had a second to wonder if his feet even touched the ground before his fist connected with her jaw. Her hand flew to her lower cheek as she skidded backwards. She could hear snickers from the crowd. As if a single punch had decided the match already. She grinned at the thought; how wrong they were.

The man moved again, throwing a fist forward in a punch right as he was in front of her. She sidestepped swiftly but minimally, so his fist nearly grazed her hair. She watched confusion cloud his expression before she jabbed a pointed hand at his chest and throat. He doubled back from the blow to his chest with an oof, but he caught her second attack, blocking her hand with his own. Fern jumped backwards, dodging the punches that kept coming her way. Her opponent pulled back aiming for her stomach, and Fern quickly moved to block the blow. The other fighter clearly wasn't as dumb as Fern had believed because he punched her face instead. She jumped back again before feeling her body graze that of another's. She was nearly outside the ring.

"Not so tough now," someone said behind her, followed by a snicker. Fern wanted to turn around and smack whoever had said it. You wish, she thought.

"Go, Rojo!" a man yelled from the crowd. Her opponent, "Rojo", ran forward but as he closed in on Fern, she held out her hands and quickly snapped her wrists upward. Her backpack expanded, gears and mechanical parts clicking, before Fern shot into the air. She looked down, her jetpack shooting near white flames and her glasses powering up. The crowd was gazing up with surprised faces. Rojo stared at her, shocked as well, but a his stance had changed to a very rigid one. Fern narrowed her eyes, and a red target circled his gloved hands. Immediately two blades were cutting through the air, and Fern immediately lowered herself, and spun through the air. One blade missed completely, but the other one cut through her shirt, a thin graze showing a line of her stomach. She frowned and zoomed towards the ground, stopping less than twenty feet away from Rojo.

"Not cool!" she said, a teasing lilt to her voice, though her expression remained stoic. She shot forward and grabbed Rojo's wrists and flew upward, higher and higher. "Not at all." Rojo gasped, and tried to moving out of her grasp, his bladed gloves nicking her palms. Fern tsked, and dropped him, kicking her feet and slamming into his abdomen as he fell faster. He hit the ground, the pavement cracking beneath him, and the female referee stepping closer, curiously leaning over him. Rojo groaned, but he didn't move from where he had landed. Fern slowly lowered herself before falling onto the ground in a crouch, cautiously gazing at her fallen rival. The referee mumbled something under her breath, then looked up with a devilish smile.

"Fighter out! Match goes to the girl with crazy jets!" she said, laughing boisterously. The crowd murmured for a couple seconds before erupting in cheers. Fern beamed, wiping her brow and rubbing her sore stomach. The crowd split as two people moved toward the ring, a man and woman with the same blond, wavy hair. It was the same people from before, the ones who had dared Fern to fight Rojo in the first place. The woman glared at Fern for a second, before staring down at the barely coherent Rojo with a look of disgust. The man walked over and kicked him in the side.

"Get up," he snapped. Rojo coughed, and slowly tried pulling himself off the ground. The man practically shoved him out of the ring. "Completely worthless. You're supposed to be one of the best, and you couldn't even beat a tiny, little girl."

"You make it sound like I didn't just beat that guy!" Fern pouted. Two heads swiveled to stare at her.

"Beginner's luck. It happens to the worst of us, it would seem," the man said coolly. Fern clenched her hands into fists, anger and annoyance flaring.

"Yeah, right," Fern scoffed. "Send me another fighter, let's see if you're right." The man shook his head, and the woman suddenly grinned at Fern, a wild, wicked smile that showed her teeth. She cracked her knuckles loudly and purposely.

"No," the man said, waving off some of the fighters who were surging forward at the edge of the ring. "As much as I'd like to send all my fighters against you, I think Fiora and I will stand in." The blond, whom Fern assumed was Fiora, waved behind her brother. Fern crossed her arms, staring at the brother.

"Two against one?" she asked skeptically. "Doesn't seem like a fair fight."

"You went into the last fight knowing it wasn't fair."

"It was still one on one."

"Are you saying you can't take us? It's okay, we understand," Fiora quipped. Fern sucked in a breath, holding the woman's gaze. She knew it was dumb, it was reckless, but she wanted nothing more than to fight, and to wipe the smirk off of Fiora's face. She pulled her glasses down a half inch and smiled.

"The ring is yours," she said, opening her arms and gesturing at the clearing around them. Fiora stepped around her brother, brandishing a large broadsword. Her brother pulled out what looked like a pitchfork almost. Fern fastened her glasses.

"Ready when you are," she said, trying to keep her tone light. Fiora laughed, a fairly ugly sound to Fern's ears. Her brother didn't move from his spot. The referee stepped into the ring, but barely took more than a few steps in. She looked nervous, her eyes darting to look at the siblings before raising the megaphone to her lips.

"Fighters ready?" she asked, her voice higher than normal. Fern nodded. The other two didn't even blink. "Fight begins in 3….2...1...Fight!"

The blond man didn't waste anytime; the forked end of his weapon shot out and nearly speared Fern through the stomach, had she not dove for the side. A thin cord connected the pointed end to the staff, which Fern had quickly realized was a harpoon. The man snapped it back, and Fiora raced past him, dragging the tip of her sword across the ground before slashing it at Fern. Fern stood her ground and held her hand out in a defensive position. One of the canisters of her jetpack separated itself from its counterpart and balanced on her shoulder before it blasted itself into Fiora's stomach. The blond woman gasped as it sent her flying backwards.  
Fern had barely begun to move when the right lens of her glasses blinked bright red, and she turned so the brother's attack caught on her remaining canister. She met his angry, blue eyes, his hands curled around the staff of the harpoon which was screeching against the metal of her pack as it slid against it. Fern snapped her fingers, and the first canister soared through the air and latched onto her back once again. She raised her hand and clapped a cupped palm over her attacker's ear. The harpoon dropped from his hand, and he screamed in pain. Fern grabbed his shoulder and launched herself over it nimbly, landing lightly on her feet, before aiming the ends of both cannons at his back. She swiped her hands through the air, and the cannons spun and launched a fiery blast at the man's back. Sparks flew into the sky as the man rocketed forward, hitting the ground with a thud. Fern looked back with a wide smile. Hopefully, he wouldn't get back up.

"Ash!" Fern turned to see Fiora standing up, her fists clenched and her expression one of absolute fury. "You little brat!"

"Eh, he just wasn't that good," Fern said mockingly. "All's fair, right?" Fiora aimed her bulky sword at Fern's head, and the girl ducked just in time to hear the whistling of a round soar through where her head had been. "Touche."

Fiora dashed for Fern, wielding her broadsword with complete ease. Fern narrowed her eyes, her glasses picking out the the suspected trajectory of the blade's swing. Her jetpack's cannons flipped so both were over her shoulders, pointed at Fiora. The older woman leapt and stabbed her blade at Fern, aiming for the girl's head. Fern wasn't even shocked that the woman was playing dirty. The fights at the ring were brutal.

She fired her cannons, and two blasts of fire shot out. Fiora cried out as she tried blocking them with her sword. The fire barely left a mark on the gleaming surface of the sword, but as Fiora faced Fern again, Fern could make out scorch marks along the woman's arms. The marks slowly disappeared until nothing but faint ash was left. Her Aura hadn't broken then. Fern needed to attack again. Her cannons returned to their original position, and Fern shoved off the ground with all her might as she shot through the air.

The teen charged Fiora, knocking her over and barraging her with quick punches at her abdomen. The blond growled and knocked the hilt of her sword against Fern's head, shoving her to the side with a strong swipe. Fern groaned, pressing a hand to her side. Fiora was strong, and that last hit made Fern want to vomit. She stumbled to her feet, listing to the side, and raising her eyes to meet the point of sharpened metal pointed directly at her face. Fern barely processed what was happening, and her mouth formed a small O as her opponent fired several rounds at her. Fern tried to move, but a few of the rounds found their mark, and her body bent backwards and fells from the impact.

"How's it feel down there on the dirt?" Fiora asked, laughing. "Where you belong!" Fern scowled, but she couldn't help but snap back a retort.

"It feels wonderful! Want a turn?" she countered. Something clicked, and Fern knew what was coming next. The blond was going to bombard her and hit her with everything she had. Fern had to think of something quick.

Fiora grinned down at her and slammed a hand down on the ground. At first, Fern thought that maybe she had been lucky and the woman had missed. Then she saw the wave of gray that began covering Fiora's arm, traveling up her arm and across her entire body until her whole body was the color of slate. Fiora's smile grew wider until she looked more like an animal baring its teeth, and she dashed forward. An idea popped into Fern's head, a risky one, but one she was fairly confident she would be able to pull off. She pulled herself up, stumbling to the side, but staying steady on her feet. Fiora slashed her blade as Fern parried with one of her cannons, turning so her pack would take the brute force of Fiora's attack. The other cannon lined up with Fiora's face and fired. The blast took her by surprise, and she took a few steps back, but thanks to her new rock-hard form, Fern was sure that Fiora had barely felt anything. But Fern did not need her to be hurt; she just needed her to lose concentration for a moment.

Fern spun, digging her heels back as she pivoted, and launched herself at the stunned Fiora. The woman held up her hands, eyes narrowed, ready to stop Fern. Fern clicked a button on her strap and fire burst from the cannons, accelerating her faster than usual. She knocked into Fiora face first as they both plummeted to the ground. Fiora snarled beneath Fern, and moved to get up. Fern clapped a hand down on the woman's shoulder, pinning her as effectively as she could, while her other hand grabbed Fiora's right wrist. Fiora pushed at the girl.

"What are you-," she began angrily, then paused as the color drained from her face. Literally. The stone coating left Fiora, growing smaller and smaller until just her wrist was stone layer traveled up Fern's hand and grew until now Fern's own body looked like it was made of stone, just as Fiora's had moments before. Fiora's eyes widened, and for the first time in their entire match, the blond woman looked just a teensy bit scared. "What-," she started.

"Thank you!" Fern said cheerfully, then began punching the woman like there was no tomorrow. She jabbed at the woman's stomach, her hands, her face. Fiora screeched and tried to shove Fern off again. Fern smiled and aimed her cannons. A destructive, fiery explosion covered the two fighters, smoke gusting around Fern and Fiora until they were no longer visible. The crowd pushed forward a bit, and the referee stepped into the ring, keeping her distance while looking for the fighters amidst the smog.

The smoke cleared away, and Fern stood up, her face dimpling while her opponent's body lay on the ground unconscious. Her stone body gradually crumbled away. Her twin cannons realigned themselves on her back, and she calmly took her sunglasses off and clipped them on her shirt. Ash was groaning over on the side, but it was clear both he and his sister were done. The ref ran over and grabbed Fern's hand, raising it high.

"We have a winner!" she yelled. Hesitant clapping echoed throughout the crowd before a thunderous roar of applause practically ruptured Fern's eardrums. A couple fighters who had yet to battle helped pull Fiora and Ash out of the ring, while another grabbed their weapons.

Fern basked in the applause for a few moments, proudly smiling and accepting the Lien a few enthusiastic onlookers threw her way. After enjoying the attention for a few minutes, she exited the ring and quietly slipped through the crowd and away from all the excitement. She fingered her glasses, an extremely smug expression decorating her face, and pulled out her Scroll, dialing in a number.

" _...Hello?"_ A low voice answered, not sounding particularly happy at being called. Fern bit her lip, stifling a laugh.

"Hiya buddy!" she chirped. A groan responded to her cheerful greeting.

" _Again? Stop calling! This is the third time this week, and I told you-,"_

"So you're coming?" Fern asked excitedly.

" _I didn't say that."_

"Yes! I knew it!" Fern fistpumped the air, almost dropping her Scroll in the process. "Okay, so we'll have to meet up someplace, and we've got to figure out a way so we'll be each other's partner, and of course we need to find other teammates as well."

" _I think the entire process of picking a team is random. I highly doubt we have a say in it."_

"Doesn't matter. We're going to be partners," Fern said dismissively.

" _You're hopeless."_

"I'm hopeful," Fern corrected. "And I will see you at Beacon!"


End file.
